This invention relates to connector assembly for an electronic control unit that incorporates surge protection directly into a connector housing.
Electronic control units can be used in various vehicle applications to transmit signals to control vehicle devices such as an airbag assembly, for example. The electronic control unit includes a printed circuit board mounted within a housing. A connector assembly is used to electrically connect the printed circuit board to the respective vehicle device. A surge protection device is incorporated into the electronic control unit to divert extra current to ground when operating voltages exceed a predetermined voltage limit.
One example of a surge protection device is a metal oxide varistor (MOV). The MOV typically includes a piece of metal oxide material in the middle that is joined to a power line and a grounding line by a pair of semiconductors. Traditionally, the MOV is mounted directly to the printed circuit board. Mounting the MOV on the printed circuit board itself takes up valuable space that could be used for other components or which prevents the size of the printed circuit board from being reduced to be used in applications requiring smaller electronic control unit modules.
Thus, it is desirable to have an electronic control unit that includes surge protection without requiring a surge protection device to be incorporated into the printed circuit board itself, as well as overcoming the other above-mentioned deficiencies with the prior art.
A connector assembly for an electronic control unit includes a metal oxide varistor (MOV) that diverts current when system operating voltages exceed a predetermined voltage limit. The MOV is directly incorporated into the connector assembly to reduce the size of an associated printed circuit board.
In one disclosed embodiment, the connector assembly is used to connect the printed circuit board to a vehicle device. The connector assembly includes a first connector that cooperates with the printed circuit board and a second connector that cooperates with the vehicle device. The MOV is mounted within one of the first or second connector housing members.
Preferably, the connector housing has a mount interface that includes a pair of holes. The MOV has a central body portion with a pair of transversely extending legs. The legs are received within the holes to directly connect the MOV to the connector housing. The connector assembly and MOV are soldered together to establish a secure connection for the assembly.
The subject system and method incorporates the MOV into the connector assembly for an electronic control unit to increase space on the associated printed circuit board for other components, or optionally, allow the size of the printed circuit board to be reduced. These and other features of the present invention can be best understood from the following specifications and drawings, the following of which is a brief description.